Your Town Friday: 64 years of love and countless slices of pizza

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NOBLESVILLE, Ind. – Since February is the month to celebrate love in our lives, we’re sharing a love story out of Noblesville for this week’s Your Town Friday.

Tom and Lois Beers remember when they met 64 years ago.

“I lived in Detroit and Lois came down with a group from Lansing,” Tom recalls. “She met my cousin. They came over to see us one day and a short time after that, you called me didn’t you, Lois?”

“I was rooming with some other girls and they were all engaged and I didn’t have a boyfriend so I called him up!” Lois explained. “I needed a date for the dance.”

Tom got some ribbing for it.

“Some people accused me of just dating this girl at Michigan State so I could go see the football games,” said Tom. “And it did work out that way!”

They were engaged on Thanksgiving and married in June. They moved to central Indiana in 1968.

Tom did exhibit and display work, including the scale model of Purdue in the school’s Memorial Union.

“I did the models down at West Baden and I did some Hall’s of Fame around, including the Football Hall of Fame.”

Along came their daughters Julie and Karen and eventually six grandchildren and four great grandchildren.

They told us all about the family from their Noblesville home where, by the way, these two sitting down is not the norm!

“Oh, I just love to ski,” said Tom. “And I like to bicycle. Right now it’s hanging up on the ceiling in the garage, but the rest of the year I keep it in the back of my SUV. I stop somewhere if I see a new section of trail that I haven’t been on and pull my bike out and ride it and see where it goes.”

And Lois hits an exercise class a few days a week, and although retired, still does some office work.

Tom added they do a lot separately, like exercise, but that’s OK with them.

“We do deliver meals at Christmastime and Thanksgiving together,” Lois said. “And it’s funny because these people tell us they’re really old and they’re seventy. We’re 85 and 90 delivering these foods! We come home and we’re always thankful we can still do it. We don’t have GPS on the vehicle but I’m good at reading maps and telling him when to turn and we find these places.”

“She’s my GPS!” Tom said. “We each do what the other can’t or doesn’t want or like to do.”

“You don’t need all this machinery that people have and you don’t need to do exotic things,” said Tom. “Just keep moving.”

In cool weather, Lois reads several books a week and Tom does artwork.

Oh how far they’ve come from their first 400 square foot apartment!

So did they figure out a secret to making it?

“Nothing that I know of!” said Tom. “I think basically we’ve both been good at what it takes for a home and a family. She’s good at homemaking and food preparation and detail work. She’s very tight with the budget. She could tell you for years what I’ve spent for chewing gum and I’m not kidding! But that’s good and that’s served us well. And I take care of the house and the home.”

Lois added, “I’ve always got clean clothes here waiting for him every day. I’m out there fixing coffee and fresh fruit for breakfast every morning while he’s still in bed exercising. He does do a lot of exercising while he’s still in the bed in the morning.”

Tom explained, “I have a very definite routine to test every joint every morning before I get up and walk around.”

“I’ve cooked Tom many meals in 64 years.” said Lois.

But one night a week, Tom gives Lois a break and takes care of dinner.

“Friday night I get the meal and I go to Some Guys Pizza! They make the best pizza and the lady is so pleasant and nice.”

Tom and Lois have been Friday night regulars for nearly 20 years. In fact, if their kids show up to pick up their pizza instead of them, the workers always make sure they’re OK.

“We have it set up on speed dial on our telephone so all I have to do is push the button and get through to them,” said Lois. “It’s always half pepperoni for Tom and half Greek for me and he goes and gets it and we have it here and enjoy it each Friday night.”

They have three speed dials set up: their daughter, 911 and Some Guys Pizza.

The feel very fortunate to be in good health and have such wonderful memories.

“Years ago we took one-day trips and I think we took about 20 one-day trips,” said Lois. “I have a little folder on each one of those trips.”

“Those are our fondest vacation memories,” said Tom.

“We’re different people now than we were when we met, but you kind of grow together,” said Tom. “You see what works and what doesn’t work. There’s no secret. Just live every day and keep active.”